


Embrace Your Defense

by Jacynon



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Pre-Relationship, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 06:06:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13001457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacynon/pseuds/Jacynon
Summary: Both Kaede and Tenko are notorious for putting others before themselves. It's in their very natures to be selfless, to help others in need. It's only after Kaede agrees to start training with Tenko that she ends up realizing just how similar they really are.





	Embrace Your Defense

**Author's Note:**

> THIS IS really short but I wanted to write smth about these two because I love them so much
> 
> this can kinda be considered to happen in canon or not, either works I think. either way, please enjoy!

It started with a sort of impulse.

Maybe Kaede's a much more impulsive person than she viewed herself as, now that she thinks about it, because a lot of her worst decisions are made on impulse.

That being said, she's not sure she can be blamed, in this case. It's easy to be drawn to a person like Tenko - a beautiful, strong girl with an aggressive and hardheaded personality who says what she means and means what she says - moreso than to some of the other _characters_ that Kaede's been surrounded by. Maybe she just has a type. But, considering the wide variety of people who've undoubtedly caught her attention, she thinks that's probably not the case here.

Some other things rush through her mind as she sits on the ground outside, her knees tucked under her. Like, maybe it's just that she's bad at denying other people. But that can't be it, because she's definitely not the type to be a pushover.

Tenko paces in front of her for what feels like the fiftieth time within the past two minutes.

"Ah, isn't it getting a bit late?" she's not actually sure what time it is, but it certainly feels a lot later than it should be for them to start already. "Shouldn't we be starting training?"

Training.

How'd she get herself into this mess?

Well, actually, she knows well enough how it happened. She was reaching out to Tenko and expressed genuine curiosity in the art of Neo-Akido. One thing led to another and they were eventually making plans to train together over the course of a week so that Kaede might understand a bit better, spurred on by none other than Kaede herself. It's not a lie that she wanted to know about Neo-Akido, but she's not quite used to being awake and ready to do physical work at night. It took her long enough to get herself on a decent sleeping schedule. Guess that's out of the window for a bit.

But it's not like she regrets doing this, exactly.

Just then, Tenko stops pacing and takes on a challenging face. "Only if you think you're ready! _Are_ you ready?"

The way that she asks sounds like she's asking Kaede to do something dangerous, wondering if she's _sure_ that she wants to do it, but Kaede knows better than to construe it that way. It's much more likely that Tenko just wants to make sure that she's actually invested in learning about Neo-Akido. That little bit of insecurity is actually kind of cute, and Kaede smiles, unable to hide her amusement.

"Sure! At least, I'm pretty sure I am. I don't actually know much about Neo-Akido. Or Akido at all, for that matter," she states truthfully.

Kaede hates to admit it, but her knowledge about things is pretty limited to what she hyperfixates on, which usually has to do with the piano. Or classical music in general. She remembers a few times that she'd gotten completely obsessed with the violin and the cello and subsequently learned everything there was to know about them, until she burned herself out and just went back to the piano. It's like that's her default, or her safe zone. And when it comes to Neo-Akido, she's very much out of her safe zone.

But, hey. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"Akido is traditionally a style that prioritizes self-defense," Tenko starts explaining it as a if it's a rehearsed lecture, like a real master would. Kaede is understandably impressed, never before giving serious consideration to just how much dedication and effort it must take for Tenko to channel her energy into it. "Neo-Akido is fundamentally different, though it follows some of the same principles. The spiritual goal is the same - developing a connection in the two opponents - but the line between attacker and defender is non-existent! Neo-Akido requires both sides to be both offensive and defensive, in a balanced amount!"

Putting a finger to her lips, Kaede speaks up in a hopeful tone like she's giving an unsure answer to a teacher's question. "So...finding common ground, right?"

There's a pause as Tenko's face goes blank and for just a moment, Kaede thinks she's said something wrong.

"That's exactly it!" the twin-tailed girl gives an excited grin, barely able to contain herself. "You really are an amazing girl to be able to catch on that quickly."

The way she says it makes it seem like Kaede's in the minority for understanding the nature of Neo-Akido with the way Tenko's explained it, which makes some sense. It's not like Kaede fully comprehends it, nor does she have any experience with anything similar to it, but she's rather open-minded and loves to learn new things.

Kaede frowns and rubs at her nose. _Maybe_ now isn't the best time, though.

But she ignores that feeling and says what she wants to say, and what she means. "Well, _you're_ an amazing girl for being so committed. Neo-Akido sounds kind of incredible!"

That seems to fluster Tenko a bit, though Kaede isn't quite sure why. It's the truth, after all. Even though it's definitely not something that Kaede can find herself putting all of her energy into on her own, it's impressive that Tenko's been able to pique her interest so heavily. Fighting and exercise in general haven't ever caught her attention the way Neo-Akido has, and she speculates that it's all because of Tenko.

The dark haired girl gives a grin despite her flushed face. "O - Of course it's incredible! I won't be able to teach you by just talking about it, though. It's important to learn from experience. So, come at me with all you've got!"

Huh? Come at her?

"Hang on, what?" Kaede looks around rapidly and shakes her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"If you won't start it, then I will!"

Before she can even understand what's going on, Kaede's being lifted in the air and flipped over, then hitting her head on the grass. She tries to process the order of events, but the impact is a bit too disorienting for her and she just lets out a loud yell instead of doing what she wants to do and asking what the _hell_ Tenko is doing. Even though it makes the impact worse, she instinctively tenses up.

For just a few moments, she stays on the ground and just stares up at the night sky, not sure if she'll be able to stand with how dizzy she's feeling.

It's clear when she looks to the other girl that Tenko's not feeling at all guilty for what she's done. In fact, Tenko's eyes are wide, as if she's just realized something. Kaede groans and rubs her head. "My back kind of...hurts. Why'd you do th - "

Before she can finish her question, Tenko's interrupting her and pointing at her with an accusatory finger. "Akamatsu, even with how strong you are, you still have a lot to learn!" her voice is booming and piercing, cutting Kaede to her very core in a way she hadn't been expecting. "If you're not careful, your strength will be your weakness. Don't be so hard on yourself, and try to take as much care of yourself as you do others. You can't let yourself burn for the sake of keeping others warm!"

That's incredible.

Tenko's _incredible_.

To be fair, Kaede isn't that used to being read like an open book, despite how honest she usually tries to be about her feelings. But she can't help but be totally impressed by how much Tenko's been able to figure out even by doing so little. "You figured that much out, just by throwing me?" trying her best to redirect attention from herself, Kaede leans in and says the first thing that's on her mind. "You being able to lift people up like that is kind of hot, though. That's definitely a plus."

As expected, Tenko starts stuttering and her face goes red. _Cute_. Definitely worth it.

"I don't...know about that. But with how you've been talking, you're really getting the hang of Neo-Akido!" for some reason, those words mean a lot more to Kaede than she thinks they should. Tenko's hopeful words shake the air around them. "Will I see you here tomorrow, too?"

How can she say no to that?

"Y - Yeah," to make up for how unsure that sounds, Kaede gives a reassuring smile and tries to sound as eager as possible. "Definitely. I'll absolutely see you tomorrow, okay?"

She knows she's hit the point of no return when Tenko's face lights up like the sun, leaving her completely speechless and making her almost stagger in her steps as she walks to her room. Come on, there's no way Kaede can back out after that. It's like she's basically just signed a contract by seeing that, because even training with Tenko wouldn't be enough to repay her for it.

 _How can someone be that stunning?_ It's just not fair.

Thus begins Kaede's week of both heaven and hell.

* * *

By the time the third day rolls around, things are already past falling apart.

It certainly doesn't help that Kaede's notorious for only really exercising her fingers. _For piano,_ she adds hastily in her head.

Starting from the second day, the two of them began doing warmups before going at each other, apparently to prevent strain on their bodies. It took almost everything out of Kaede on the second day, but she just barely managed to pull herself together and keep herself from either passing out or becoming a snotty mess. She thinks she's been doing pretty well so far, but for some reason, the warmups have felt _extra_ intensive. Maybe it's just that Tenko's been upping the difficulty to get her to work harder. The cold of the night certainly isn't helping, as every gust of wind pricks at her skin.

Isn't exercise supposed to help when it's cold out? She calls bullshit on that, because it feels like her lungs are both freezing and on fire at the same time.

She doesn't even realize until she's been heaving over her knees for a few seconds that Tenko's been staring at her.

Her breath halts, like she's just been caught doing something bad, and she straightens her back to make it look like she's not doing nearly as badly as she actually is.

"C - Come on, Chabashira, why are you looking at me like - "

"I've had a feeling from the start that you've been hiding something from me," Tenko states in the middle of her question, expression intense. "But now I know for sure. You're sick!"

_Uh oh._

It's true, unfortunately.

Even though she's done her best to try and keep it from being too noticeable, Kaede's had what's felt like a cold for a few days now. It wasn't nearly as bad on the first day that they'd trained together, but she had a feeling that it would get worse as time went on, and that she'd have to hide it better and better. But she's clearly not as good at hiding it as she thought she could be. Kaede gives a congested sniff and looks away, clearly ashamed at her lie.

To be perfectly honest, she's not even sure what to say. With the growing pressure in her head, it's hard to make up some sort of excuse, or explain why she might have lied about her condition. Instead, she settles for a quiet apology. "I'm...I'm sorry."

Tenko's eyebrows shoot up in what looks like either surprise or panic, or possibly both.

"D - Don't get me wrong - you're a wonderful girl!" she hurries to clarify, showing that she's not actually mad at Kaede, nor is she particularly upset that Kaede's been effectively pretending to be alright just to do what she'd thought would keep Tenko happy. It at least helps to quell some of the guilt. "You're someone who likes to take care of people and who puts others before yourself, and I bet that's why you agreed to train with me! But that's no good if it's at the expense of your health."

Hearing that, Kaede's heart swells.

It's hard to form words when faced with that kind of sentiment. It's not like either of them really know each other that well, but Tenko's talking to Kaede like they're already good friends. And it's hard to deny that Kaede's finding it refreshing. "That's...you're actually really kind, aren't you, Chabashira?"

Apparently, that's a compliment that Tenko doesn't have any problem accepting. She takes Kaede's hand, her grip firm and comforting, and leads her in the direction of the dining within the main building. "We're putting a hold on training for the night. Let's go get you some tea."

Tea sounds pretty nice right now, Kaede thinks as her muscles give a dull ache.

When she's sat down on the stool in the kitchen, she looks around the dim room. Most of the light both here and in the dining room comes from the windows and giant skylight, but since it's late enough for the sun to be nowhere in sight, the few wall fixtures are all that remain. They certainly set the mood, but whether that mood is supposed to be romantic or creepy is kind of up in the air, considering their situation. "Isn't it sort of dangerous to be wandering around at night?"

"Don't worry!" Tenko responds without a hitch. "No terrible men could possibly be a match for a Neo-Akido master like me and her disciple."

 _I'm not sure men are the only ones who can be dangerous,_ Kaede thinks while giving a fond smile. But as Tenko turns away to finish up their tea, Kaede shakes her head and smacks her own cheeks to get that doubt right out of her head because _geeze_ , she shouldn't be so suspicious of her own classmates, the very people she's been wanting to put her faith in this whole time. The word _disciple_ does give her a bit of a nice feeling, though.

Even though Kaede feels like she isn't the best with finding out the right thing to say at the right time, she can't help herself from gushing, even though that's practically all she's been doing since the moment she met Tenko. Her voice comes out a bit hoarse, but she ignores the slight pain in the back of her throat. "Hey, Chabashira? Thank you. You're really incredible - I mean, I didn't think someone who's as beautiful as you could have a great personality too, but you totally proved me wrong."

It's becoming more and more obvious how easy it is to make Tenko blush and Kaede definitely wants to keep doing it.

"O - Of course. I hope I'm not being overbearing about this! I _am_ really glad you decided that you wanted to train with me and learn more about Neo-Akido," as she speaks, Tenko doesn't look at Kaede, but her words sound more sincere than ever. "But you should tell me if you're not feeling well! Especially if we're training like that. I made it harder on you so you'd be honest with me, but I wouldn't have done that otherwise. Pushing yourself while you're sick will only make things worse. You need your rest, alright? And I'll do everything in my power to help you feel better."

As Kaede listens to the lecture with attentive ears, she feels herself getting a bit embarrassed at how worried Tenko obviously is. She's so used to being the one who looks after others, not the other way around, but it's a bit nice for the script to be flipped for once. Especially when the person who's helping her out is someone like Tenko. But still, it's not something that she has a lot of experience with.

 _Ha_. Tenko really was spot-on with her observation the first day, huh?

Kaede's not sure what she's done to deserve someone like Tenko taking care of her like this.

And as they start talking about this and that, as Tenko laughs at a joke she's made and goes on about what fuels her passion, as she either knowingly or unknowingly speaks without pause, she radiates a pure love for what her talent is and what it means. She reminds Kaede of herself and her own love for the piano, and she realizes slowly just how similar they really are. Kaede's always played not just because she loves playing, but because she loves seeing the smiles on people's faces when she plays.

Isn't Tenko the same way?

She didn't understand it before, maybe because she didn't understand what Neo-Akido really is, but Tenko's desire to understand others and to be understood is deeply intertwined with her talent. Tenko is someone who wants to develop those kinds of real, personal connections with people that some others might be afraid of creating, and there's something clear to be admired about that.

In fact, there's a lot to be admired about Tenko.

Kaede starts to think that the warmth spreading in her chest and to her cheeks can be attributed to more than just the tea.


End file.
